D'Antoni sees Dwight Howard developing jumper

OAKLAND -- Although it might not be the highest-percentage play in the Lakers' offense, Dwight Howard's jump shot is a worthwhile cause.

As mentioned in a column last week about Howard's recent growth, his willingness to take the shots in the game is representative of progress in a basic sense: Howard has trouble accepting the downside of missing shots, so he is sometimes overly worried about missing -- as happens with his free throws.

But from a practical perspective, Howard has much to gain by developing a decent jumper. Here's the way Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni framed it before the game at Golden State on Monday night: "When a team knows all you can do is post up and you're not a very good foul shooter ..."

Defenses are very physical with Howard in the post and eager to foul him. If Howard expands his game to add a jumper, it would complicate things considerably for defenders. Howard is already a proven defensive dynamo, but his post moves are not particularly polished and he struggles to take his time with his shooting release. Oftentimes Howard just flips the ball up toward the basket instead of being focused on scoring, and his effectiveness in his first Lakers season has been far greater in pick-and-roll sets than from the post, his preferred area of operation.

D'Antoni also said that practicing a smoother jumper can only help Howard's sketchy free-throw stroke.

Howard tried two jump shots from the left side in the first three minutes vs. Golden State -- and missed the rim entirely on both, the first one a bank shot that banged over to the other side. The risky business set an unfocused tone to the beginning of the game, when the Warriors took early control.

Assuming Howard re-signs with the Lakers at season's end, D'Antoni said the idea of Howard adding the jumper is part of the hope that he can "dominate the league" more completely in the future because "he's young enough and he can."

About Howard, 27, D'Antoni said: "We just want to expand his game all over."

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